In Darkness
by snuggalong
Summary: After Kite and BlackRose have a fight, BlackRose goes out to the field alone and doesn’t return. When Kite finds her, disoriented and on the brink of death, what secrets will be revealed in her darkness? ONESHOT.


In Darkness

Author's Note: HEYYY!!! I'm back from the dead! To those of you who read my other fics, I'm sorry. I'm just seriously lacking a muse at the moment. Anyways, this is my first .hack fic, so please, no flames. Set during .hack//Another Birth.

SUMMARY: After Kite and BlackRose have a fight, BlackRose goes out to the field alone and doesn't return. When Kite finds her, disoriented and on the brink of death, what secrets will be revealed in her darkness? ONESHOT.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own ANY of the .hack series.

In Darkness:

Artificial sunlight fell upon the sparkling waters of the river, throwing diamonds every which way. The scenery was beautiful, but what the sunlight illuminated was far from it.

Longtime "The World" partners Kite and BlackRose were quarreling, and had been for several minutes.

"Don't try to deny it!" BlackRose shouted, her face flushed, and eyes full of anger. However, if you looked deeper, you might have seen something else…hurt. "Why don't you just go find her and leave me alone, since I'm obviously such a burden to you?!"

"BlackRose…" Kite replied, at a loss for words. He had come to Mac Anu expecting to find her ready to go adventuring, and next thing he knew she was yelling at him about being in love with Aura. Yes, he had met Aura this morning. But it didn't mean anything!

He snapped out of his reverie to realize that his partner was gone, heading towards the Chaos Gate. He started after her, only to stop short as she swung around, her Heavy Blade leveled at his throat. "Don't follow me," she said harshly, but if you could have seen her then, in the real world, you would have seen that she was crying.

"Scarred, Darkness, Tears!" she called out, and vanished in a swirl of golden rings. Kite gasped. That field was level 70—ten levels higher than BlackRose at the moment. It was suicide. He was torn with indecision—leaving her alone, as she had asked, or helping his one true friend.

-x::x-

BlackRose warped onto the field, a barren wasteland that fit her current mood perfectly. She walked aimlessly, finally sinking onto the ground and pulling her knees up to her chest. She shivered, despite not being able to feel anything in this virtual world.

Why had it hurt her so much to see Kite with Aura?

The answer presented itself in a rush of confusing thoughts and emotions.

"Damn it, I've fallen in love with him…" BlackRose moaned, staring up at the sky with a defeated expression on her face. "Of course…"

And she could never tell him. He was in love with Aura…and she would respect his wishes. Even if it meant…leaving him behind.

A sudden growl cut off her train of thought. She leapt to her feet, sword drawn—to find a Data Bug before her, green hexes glowing ominously in the light of the field.

"Damn," she muttered. There was no way she could take this out on her own. Her only hope was to whittle it down to "Protect Break OK" and then get the hell out of there.

With a battle cry, she rushed forward.

-x::x-

Kite sat on a crate near the Chaos Gate, waiting for BlackRose to come back. He wasn't sure she would…but he would wait. Let her blow off some steam.

And so he waited.

-x::x-

BlackRose exhausted the last of her health potions as she hid, panting, behind a rock. She had been battling this thing for half an hour, and she had yet to see the little icon that meant her salvation. She knew that if she died here, she would most likely go into a coma. Sighing, she resigned herself to the inevitable. If she went into a coma, Kite could complete the quest without her…and be with Aura.

-x::x-

Kite checked his partner's stats once again. Still online. Finally, he stood, and headed for the Chaos Gate. She had been gone too long—something was wrong.

"Scarred, Darkness, Tears!" he said quietly, and vanished into the darkness of in-gate transfer.

-x::x-

BlackRose slowly gathered her skill points for one last attack. Then, taking a deep breath, she leapt high into the air, somersaulting to gain momentum.

"Death Bringer!" she yelled, and brought her blade down on the Data Bug with all her might. Its hit points dropped a notch, and that little icon "Protect Break OK" appeared above it. Then its claws slashed across her, sending her slamming into a rock. The last thing she saw before darkness overtook her vision was a beam of bright light, spearing the bug from behind and dissolving it into code.

-x::x-

Kite appeared in the field, only to gasp at what he saw; BlackRose being slammed into a rock by a Data Bug, her hit points dropping near to zero. Not caring what happened to him, he sprinted towards her, leaping into the air a few feet away from the monster. He stuck his wrist out, and yelled,

"Data Drain!" Bright light shot out of the bracelet, spearing through the bug and dissolving it into pieces. Landing, he rushed over to BlackRose, whose eyes were closed.

"No…" he whispered, gently supporting her with his arms. Suddenly, her eyes flickered open.

"Kite…" she murmured, so quietly he had to strain to hear it.

"Shhh. Don't talk," he said, as he searched through his inventory for a recovery item. Damn it, he had forgotten to restock after their last battle with one of the Phases! Her remaining hit points were draining fast, and soon she would vanish. Of course, she would reappear later, but that wouldn't erase the fact that it would be his fault she died.

"Kite," she said again, a bit stronger. "I'm sorry, I was being so stupid…"

"It's okay," he told her. Therefore missing her next words. "What?"

She repeated herself, her voice the tiniest breath of wind. "Kite…I love you…"

He stiffened at her words. She couldn't be in love with him…could she? It was just a game. They could never meet, never really get to know each other.

His thoughts were useless. A warm feeling spread in his chest, and he smiled gently.

"I love you too, BlackRose."

Her eyes widened, and then closed as she smiled. "Thank you."

Her last hit point vanished, and she faded away, a ghost of code.

Yet Kite didn't feel sadness. She would be back, and then they would spend the day together.

_In darkness or in light, they would always be together._

Together forever.

Author's Note: REALLY corny ending, I know. But it was so sweet, wasn't it? Anyways, please read and review. As for my other fics, I'll try to get them updated as soon as possible.


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